Means for clearing glass windscreens and the like



April 14Q1925,

G. H. EATON l MEANS FOR CLEARING GLASS WINDSCREENS AND THE LIKE Filed April l. 1924 Patented Apr. 14:, i925.

Unirse str-eres re'rsnr orriee.

GEGRGE -IAROLD EATON, OFSHEFELB, ENGLND, ASSGHOR OF UNE-HALF TO HER- i BERT TERRY SNS, LIM'IE'D, 0F REUUETCH, WRCESTERSHERE, ENGLAND.

MEANS FUR OLEARVNG GLASS WINDSGREENS AND THE LIKE.

Application le April 1, 192,4. Serial Nov 703,443..

ni i i .I o ell 107mm et "meg/f conc-ef Be it known that I, Grenen Hnnonn En'roN, a snbject of the King of Great Britain, residing; at ionztgomery Road, Sheili'eld, Engle-nd, lieve: invented Improve ments in or Relating to Means tor Cleari-.ngi ass llfind'screens andthe like (fior I have tiled an applicationin Gre-at- Britain on March 191, 199.3, under No. 7,789), ot which the :toll-owing; is a speeitiration..

This invention is: 'for in1pi."oven'ients in or relating to a device for clearing the win-elscre-ens of' vehicles, and more particnlerly to device oli the type eon'iprising; an outer wiper, adapted, to engage-v with the ontersurw falce of a transparent windscreem and means whereby theywi-per may bev pressed into en @agement with the surface of; the windscreen.

The present invention eonsists oit a* device odi' :type: referred to for clearing the windscreensof vejlnieles and the like in which the outer wiper coin-prises e substantially tint element built np of a plurality olf superimpod strips et' textilev material the ends of which are aqdnpted tobe detachably secured upon :u longitudinal holder.

Further, the present invention consists4 of a devi-ee tio-r clearingn the windsoreens oi vel-ii-elesvas, set forth in the preceding para- ,grrapln whe-rein the holder is` formed of sub sta-ntA llv U cross section so as to permit the ends. ot the sniperiinposed. strips of' material to he tolded over the ends ofthe holder so as to. lie betweenthe parallel `limbs thereof, and engage with means for elainpingY the ends ort the said.` material to. the said holder.

'Ihre invention. is more particularly described4 with reference to the accompanying; dra-wing, in which Figure l illustrates in elevation one methf od of carrying the invention into etf'ect.

Figure 2: is aside elevation o'ti Figure l.

Figure 3 is a plan view on the line A-A ot' Figure l, and

Figure 4; is a nioditied construction of the said device.`

Referring to the drawings, 'l comprises an arm constructed of substantially U- shaped formation. The arm 1 is provided et each end with a bridge-piece 2 carried upon trunnions which are mounted in hearings el in the side walls of the arin l. The bridge-piece 2 is arranged to cari-.x7 a screw-threaded stein 5, which is provided at l"the end adjacent to the base ol the U-shzrped arm l with a basepieee tf, and prm'idedY at its tree end with a milled heed. 7. The sidewalls et the ern-1 l are extended sl'ljhtly hey-ond the hase thereof. and the anni adepte-d to receive a plurality oi superimposed layers 8 ot a textile mate-rial, suchas. linen and these layers are held; in position on the arm l by folding; beek the cndsfo the said layers between the mme efltlre U-shaped member l into a position in which they may be clamped between. the hnsopiece Gl and the base oit the firm i.

Mounted adjacent to the arml is abeeltsnppor-t 9, which is substantially ot U- slnrped.- cross-section, and is adapted to receive a. rubber or like padl l0, whereby mist rnaay be removed from the inner surface o'i the screen. Fitted to the bark of the backsnpport Si is a spring 1 1, which is ar *angled to ente-ndi upwardly sind over one end ot the arin l, and then downwardly into cn.- gageinent with the base of the said erm. and thesaid spring is held in position on the said arm against lateral movement` bv ineens of the upright. limbs ot the said erin, and the said spring is restricted in its movement transversely to` the hase et the said erin b5.' lateral projections il formed on the upright linlbs thereof, which projections. toverlie the free end` lil. oft the said spring.

The free end.: ot. the said spring' has :i bulge formed thereinr whieh is adapted to engage with` one odi' a nnmber ol holes or indentations la 'liorined in `the bese of the arin, so. as. to enable the said arm. to he held e definite predetermined position relatively tothe said spring', Formed on the back of the back-support 9 is` a handle lf2, which handle, may be formed integral with the spring 11, or independent thereof..

Reiten-'ino to Fignre t, there illustrated in perspective a. device similar to that hereinheitore described with the exception that in this example the superimposed layers S are bifnrcated at their ends so as to enable the-1n to be slipped past a screw-threaded stem 13 mounted on the arin l and arranged to receive a plate 14, by which the layers S are clamped irmly in position, once the screw l5 has been tightened upon the screwthreaded stein 13.

Thus it will be seen that if a windscreen is clamped between the said wiper arm and the back-support, with the superimposed layers of the arm in contact with the forward surface of the windscreen, the occupant of a motor vehicle, may, by means of the handle 12, rub the device backwards and forwards over the surface of the windscreen, and thereby clear the external surface thereof.

Although it will be found that a wiper constructed in the manner hereinbefore described may be extremely effective in removing rain-drops and the like from a windscreen, nevertheless, it is desirable to prevent the formation of subsequent dropsv on the surface cleared, and, in order to attain this object, the wiper is preferably treated with a composition such that whenmoistened it will leave a film on the surface of the glass of such a character as to prevent the formation of drops of water ormoisture upon the surface thereof, which drops of water or moisture would undoubtedly impair the vision of the occupant of the vehicle.

A preferred composition for treating` the wiper is composed of a resinous, slightly oily substance, which may be prepared by forming a saturated but clear solution of dark resin in methylated spirits, and thereafter treating the same with some such vegetable or seed oil as castor oil, in the following manner To twoy drachms of the solution composed ofl resin dissolved in methylated spirits, approximately 1.4 per cent castor oil is added. This percentage is an approximation, as in practice, the amount of castor oil added constitutes a drop.` l

The material which constitutes the layers of the wiper is then soaked in the preparation hereinbefore referred to, and allowed to dry, whereupon the material is again soaked and dried a second time, when'it is found to be in its preferred form.

Although I have specified specific proportions in which the composition for treating the wpermay be made up, nevertheless, it is to be understood that Lsatisfactory results may be obtained with proportions of a different character.

Thus it will be seen that, according to this invention, there is provided a device for clearing a windscreen which is simple in its construction, eiiicient in its operation, and inexpensive in its manufacture, and which, by reason of the fact that' a surface contact rather than a line contact is provided between the screen and the wiper, a more effective wiping operation is secured.

Also, according to this invention, there is provided means whereby the external surface of a windscreen may be treated so as to prevent the adhesion of drops of water or moisture to' the surface thereof, and it will be appreciated that although one speciiic method of treating' a wiper has been described, many methods of a similar character will present themselves to one skilled in the art, and, consequently, I do not limit myself to the specific proportions hereinbefore enumerated.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a device for clearing the windscreens of vehicles, the combination of a straight holder of substantially U cross-section, a plurality of longitudinal cleaning strips arranged in and extending across the channel of said holder, superimposed in substantially flat formation Ato constitute an outer wiper and having their opposite ends infolded over the -ends of the holder and lying between the forwardly upstanding parallel limbs of the holder, clamping means mounted at opposite ends of the holder and operative between said forwardly upstanding limbs to clamp saidinfolded ends of the strips to the holder', a back support of channel formation having its channel presented to said outer wiper,an inner wiper arranged in the channel of said back support to engage with the inner surface of the Windscreen, a handle on the back of said back support, and a flexible spring arranged to straddle the windscreen and having oneA end attached to the upper end of the back support and the other end attached to the said holder at a point intermediate the ends thereof. to press the outer wiper against the windscreen and cause it to move uniformly with the inner wiper.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my'hand.

GEORGE HAROLD nafroiv. 

